Shannon McElhone, LMHC

Violetta Aranda, LPC is a native South Texan and second generation Mexican- American. She is a 2011 graduate of St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas and obtained full LPC licensure in Texas in August of 2017. Her practice focuses on cognitive behavioral modalities within a humanistic client-centered approach to foster healing through self-acceptance and self-awareness. She has over a decade's worth of experience working within the mental health field and fifteen years working directly with children and adolescents in various capacities. Before joining Talkiatry, Miss Aranda practiced exclusively within the community health sector and these experiences provided the opportunity to become fully immersed in Trauma and Crisis Management and fostered the passion for evolving research in the treatment of trauma-informed care. She now aspires to utilize these allocated experiences and passion for the field to promote mental health awareness, client advocacy, and quality of care.

Dr. Nathan Schulz attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine where he received his degree before completing a residency in psychiatry at the University of Illinois, Chicago. After several years working with veterans at the Jesse Brown VA in Chicago, he returned to his home state of Iowa in 2022. Since then, he has continued to work with a wide variety of clients and conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including at the University of Iowa and Clive Behavioral Health hospital.

Dr. Schulz values open, honest, and ongoing dialogue about how mental health treatment can improve wellbeing and lead to healing. Over time, he tailors treatment recommendations based on individual needs, which may include medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, or other approaches. He avoids a one-size-fits-all model and creates an environment where patients feel respected, understood, and supported as unique individuals.

In the first meeting, Dr. Schulz works to understand each patient’s goals, experiences, and preferences. Some arrive knowing what they want, while others are new to exploring mental health challenges. His goal is to meet patients where they are and adjust treatment focus as needs evolve. He emphasizes collaborative decision-making, clearly discussing treatment options, pros and cons, and next steps, while ensuring patients feel informed and empowered throughout care.

Avi Adri is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with a passion for helping others achieve their goals through medication management and psychotherapy. He is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and supportive therapy. Avi has experience supporting individuals with depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and ADHD. He is an LGBTQIA+ affirming provider who believes in empowering individuals in their lives.

He earned his Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in psychiatry from Stony Brook University and a nursing practice degree from Chatham University. Avi is committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate treatment for mental health conditions to enhance quality of life. His previous experience includes two years at Columbia University Medical Center on an inpatient psychiatric unit and four years on the medical consultation-liaison psychiatric team, where he treated patients with a range of acute and chronic medical conditions while providing medication management and psychotherapy. His work at Columbia involved treating a wide spectrum of psychiatric conditions with the goal of achieving symptom remission.

Additionally, Avi has practiced at a private clinic in New York City, focusing on interventional techniques such as TMS and ketamine therapy, alongside medication management and psychotherapy.

Through mindful techniques and compassionate care, Avi is dedicated to the well-being of his clients. He views each person as more than a diagnosis and approaches care through a client-centered, holistic lens.

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Amanda Favretto is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who holds certificates as a Nationally Certified Counselor as well as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Working with military service members and faith-based counseling are two of Amanda's passions. Amanda has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with individuals struggling with concerns such as low-self esteem, adjustment, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and relationship and communication issues, utilizing such treatment modalities as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, as well as others. Amanda believes in the importance of meeting each individual where they are at, focusing on all aspects of a person: heart, mind, body, and spirit. It has been Amanda's experience that focusing on each layer leads to long-lasting, deeper healing and growth. Believing that each person has it in them to heal and grow, Amanda considers it a unique privilege to assist people on that journey. At each individual's pace, striving to promote a comfortable environment, Amanda will gently encourage deeper self-reflection, mindfulness, challenging oneself, and skill-building. She would like you to feel free to reach out to set up an appointment and answer any questions you may have.

Dominika is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has been in the field for ~20 years performing individual, group, and family service. During her education, Dominika focused on various forms of treatment modalities including DBT, ACT, CBT, trauma informed, family systems, motivational interviewing, and substance abuse treatment. Dominika has been an active remote, mental health therapist for the past several years, and has experience with working with diverse populations providing services to adults and children in mixed settings.

Dominika has an extensive background working with survivors of trauma, depression/bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, grief, PTSD, schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis, gender/sexual identity difficulties, eating disorders, substance abuse, domestic violence, life transitions, as well as combinations of multiple problems. Dominika is a firm believer meeting people at their own pace to accomplish their objectives at their own speed.

Dominika’s initial appointment is an assessment, gathering the client’s background information and reason for seeking treatment, focusing on the client's own specific goals/desires for therapy and helping ct envision what this would look like for them in order to establish a general roadmap on moving towards their aspirations. After the first session, Dominika concentrates on what complications exist to ct’s objectives and how ct can utilize supportive tools/resources to help overcome these barriers. Dominika then helps cts establish weekly, smaller goals that can lead cts to their larger scale aspirations.

Dr. Elizabeth Foote is a board-certified addiction and general psychiatrist practicing medicine for over 15 years.  

Dr. Elizabeth Foote focuses on providing integrated care for those with co-occurring disorders, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of mental illness in the outpatient setting.  

She provides medication management as well as psychotherapy which includes drug and alcohol counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and cognitive processing therapy for trauma.  When combining these treatment approaches, patients receive more comprehensive mental health care.  Treatment begins with an initial assessment and a comprehensive treatment plan developed in coordination with the patient to best meet their needs.

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